PRELIMS NEWS

 

  1. kesavananda Bharati

The issue in news

Kesavananda Bharati passed away.

Main points

  • Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji was the petitioner in the historic Fundamental Rights case – the “Kesavananda Bharati versus State of Kerala” case.
  • Though the petition only challenged the amendments in the Kerala land reforms law, subsequently the ambit of the case was extended to challenge a series of constitutional amendments introduced by the then government, granting unlimited power to Parliament to alter the Constitution.
  • The Twenty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of India enables Parliament to dilute Fundamental Rights through Amendments of the Constitution and empowers it to amend any provision of the Constitution.
  • Also, it makes it obligatory for the President to give his assent when a Constitution Amendment Bill is presented to him.
  • The case was heard by a Bench of 13 judges — the largest formed in the Supreme Court.
  • The Kesavananda Bharati judgment gave rise to the Basic Structure doctrine which limited Parliament’s power to make drastic amendments that may affect the core values enshrined in the Constitution, like secularism and federalism and also stressed on the power of the Supreme Court to judicially review laws of Parliament.

 

  1. Chandrayaan – 1

The issue in news

Images sent by Chandrayaan-1 indicate the possible impact of Earth’s atmosphere on the Moon.

Main points

  • ISRO’s maiden mission to the Moon has sent images that show that the Moon may be rusting along the poles.
  • The sign of this finding is that even though the surface of the Moon is known to have iron-rich rocks, it is not known for the presence of water and oxygen, which are the two elements needed to interact with iron to create rust.
  • Scientists at NASA say that this could be because the Earth’s own atmosphere is lending a helping hand which, in other words, means that the Earth’s atmosphere could be protecting the Moon as well.
  • Thus, scientists are trying to decipher with Chandrayaan-1 data whether the Moon’s poles are home to water.

 

 

  1. International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies

The issue in news

First-ever International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies to be observed on 7th September 2020.

The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies:

  • The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2019 to observe the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on 7th September every year starting from 2020.
  • Objectives of the Day: To raise public awareness at all levels—individual, community, corporate and government— that clean air is important for health, productivity, the economy and the environment.
  • To demonstrate the close link of air quality to other environmental/developmental challenges such as climate change.
  • To promote and facilitate solutions that improve air quality by sharing actionable knowledge best practices, innovations, and success stories.
  • To bring together diverse international actors working on this topic to form a strategic alliance to gain momentum for concerted national, regional and international approaches for effective air quality management.

 

 

  1. Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission

The issue in news

GOI expands the support given to artisans involved in agarbatti making and to the agarbatti industry.

Main points

  • Under the expanded programme, 400 agarbatti making machines will be provided as against the earlier 200.
  • 10 clusters under SFURTI will be set up at a cost of about Rs 50 crore to benefit 5000 artisans.
  • Two centres of excellence will be established to develop machine making and promote product innovations. One centre would be at Kannauj.

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